Steel Partners Holdings Releases Letter From Executive Chairman Warren Lichtenstein on Passing of Tommy Lasorda

Steel Connect Inc. (NASDAQ: STCN) ("Steel Connect" or the "Company") today released a letter from Executive Chairman Warren Lichtenstein on the passing of Tommy Lasorda.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210122005435/en/

January 19, 2021

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tomorrow is the Presidential Inauguration. Today we celebrate the life of Thomas Charles Lasorda.

When the late Tony Bergamo said he was bringing “Uncle Tommy” to dinner 12 years ago, it changed the course of my life. He became a best friend, a brother, a second father. As he did for so many others, he helped me become a better person, a better father, and a better leader.

Believe it or not, I was not the biggest sports fan and did not know anything about Tommy Lasorda when we first met.

I did not know he had won two World Series, was in the Baseball Hall of Fame and a total of 17 Hall of Fames; that he signed his first contract when he was just 16 years old, had nine honorary degrees, three paintings in the Smithsonian, or that he had an asteroid named after him. What I did learn that night is that he was a giver with a growth mindset who always said yes, if he could. He was all heart, a gritty, larger-than-life Italian who loved his family fiercely and angel hair pasta with a lot of hot, crushed red peppers.

Tommy grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in a Catholic, Italian family with his four brothers, mom, and dad. Tommy remained forever committed to his own family, especially Jo, who was the yin to his yang, Laura, Tommy Jr., who I never did have the chance to meet, and Emily.

Shortly after we first met and started spending time together, Tommy asked if he could come to my son’s little league game so that he could meet him. As we arrived at the field, all the parents were going nuts and began to shout Tommy’s name. It was then and there that I started to realize that Tommy was so much more than my new best friend. The parents and kids all wanted autographs and photos, which Tommy was happy to sign, but he would always say, “Can you say please and thank you?” He certainly was right, and he wanted to make sure the kids understood the value of respect. My son, Stefan, distinctly remembers looking at the ground as he introduced himself and shook Tommy’s hand. Tommy was clearly unimpressed and said, “Hey, look at me when I shake your hand, and squeeze it! Squeeze my hand like you mean it, with intention!” Tommy definitely got his attention, and he said that if Tommy had told him to run around the field 100 times, he would’ve run like his life depended on it.